A Call To Action
by Stormy Feathers
Summary: Part One of Jump! C.A.D.M.U.S. had access to two of the most powerful young mutants in quite the time. In most universes, they are forgotten, they die. Here? Here, they take action, and the course of history is changed. (Rating may change in future. Features random appearances from time to time.)
1. Chapter 1

Part One: Shadow

Ari sprung up into the air, catching the ball. Now, this wouldn't be so odd… if the ball wasn't thirty feet off of the ground. Ariela Sokol twitched tufted ears as she fell back onto the ground, grinning at her sister.

" _Aaand you catch it again. Why am I not surprised, sis?"_ Miriam chirped, smirking at her older sibling. Ari simply huffed, before tackling the younger. Miriam snickered, twisting out from under the elder.

" _I'm really not sure if that was a good idea though. If somebody saw me- what do you think would happen? I'd get taken away, even if you weren't."_ Ariela hissed, keeping her voice down low.

Miriam ducked her head, knowing that this was true. Ari jumped upwards, flipping over her sister with a grin on her face. Miriam looked at her in shock, before following her elder sister. The ease which Ari ran with was hard to match, but Miriam had nearly caught up to her by the time that the pair reached home.

Ari kept her eyes trained on them, slowly backing away. The hissing of a canister filled her ears. The mutant covered her mouth and nose, attempting to run. Miriam was closer to the door… if she could…

She felt a boot on her back, and twisted to see the mask covered face. "Well. You, my dear, will make a _wonderful_ asset for Cadmus. Your sister as well." and it was to this, that Ariela Sokol lost consciousness.

She awoke to a solid white, and the feeling of being too far underground for her liking. If he sterile scent of the place and glass wall hadn't given it away, the humans in white coats would have. Research.

She felt her claws slide into place. The glass didn't even scratch. Nor did anything change the wrongness of the place. Ariela felt bile and fear rise in her chest. As she slowly backed away from the wall, she caught the eyes of several smirking scientists. Ariela let out a terrified roar, continuing to back away.

She heard her sister's frantic cries from nearby, and stalked over to the younger mutant, holding her protectively, while her ears perked up to listen to the conversation nearby. This, this was interesting.

" _The elder appears to be protective of the younger. While genetics show the two are siblings, we were not certain if the protective behavior from subject no. 1 to subject no. 2 was an attempt to blend in or not."_

" _Subject no. 1 appears to have some form of… Shapeshifting ability, it seems like. Will need more study."_

" _Subject no. 1's eyes are a mixed shade of brighter blue, while Subject no. 2's are a shade of mint green."_

" _Both subjects are darker in coloration. If human, would assume Mediterranean descent. As not, will have to acquire other forms of the species. Species has been dubbed_ Homo Mutatio _now, may change."_

Ariela turned her ears away from this. They didn't even consider Miriam and herself to be human, so why should she ever care for them? She knew they were trying to clone her- make the best super-soldier yet.

And damn right was she going to do everything in her power to make sure they would fucking fail.

 _I suppose a time skip is in order, as the time in C.A.D.M.U.S. is incredibly depressing. I mean, really._

Ariela's ears pricked at the sounds of people moving upstairs. The smell alone showed that she didn't know them. And that they were _her_ age. That could be _nothing_ but a good thing. The G-Trolls would be on a floor a few below her, so they were going to run into one of C.A.D.M.U.S.'s darker projects soon.

She let out a few loud chirps, waiting for some form of reply. Miriam watched as her elder sister worked.

The glow in her eyes was unmistakable. Ariela Sokol was going to do something that not many had even bothered to try. Ariela Namera Sokol was going to break out of C.A.D.M.U.S. with all that she had.

Miriam felt the change deepen in her sister. She had been broken- the thought that, with just the smallest bit of hope, that she would _mend?_ The feeling was a wonderful one. The younger watched the elder with a kind of true fascination- the kind that comes from watching an old golden eagle take to the air once again.

Ariela Sokol's bright blue eyes were trained on the door. Maybe she shouldn't have let herself hope- or maybe not. A soft, tired smile made it's way onto the mutant's face as the door slowly opened. She knew for a fact that the thing was heavy, though there were three, so that may make it easier for the small group.

Kaldur knew he would be finding some awful things going in, but he assumed that Project Aurora wouldn't be… this. Both girls had been kept in an open-glass containment unit, clearly used to this treatment, from what they looked like. Robin's immediate response garnered him respect from the Atlantean. The soft grin on the elder of the two women's faces was of absolute relief at their rescue.

"Thanks. My name is Ariela, my sister's is Miriam." the soft voice, with a Middle Eastern lilt to it, brought Kaldur's attention to the two children. For that was what they were. The elder seemed to be fourteen at the oldest, with her sister at possibly nine years of age. The older grinned, before….

Kaldur stared at the sudden switch. The feline that was now in place of the girl was quite extraordinary. It was a burnt copper color, with cream highlights, and a few coffee-coloured markings around her face. The blue eyes were identical to the girl's human form, but it was the ears that were the most interesting part.

Tall, with sharp tufts extending from the tips. The cat shook herself, before transforming again. An armoured trench-coat, with the same copper coloring, tan shirt visible from underneath, dark grey jeans, and a set of short topped black boots. It wasn't the outfit that was intriguing, it was the quick change.

Ariela stretched happily, grinning at the three boys, and her sister, who had morphed her clothes as well.

"Okay, it's great to be out of that. From what I was able to hear, you're trying to figure out what's going on here?" Ariela asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. The three nods from the boys was only confirmation. The mutant looked down the shaft, nodding at her sister, before turning back to the others.

"Well then, I suppose your best bet would be to follow me." she chirped, leaping off the edge and down.

 _(A/N: I was planning to leave it there- but then I realized this- it wasn't fair to you! Also, the ending is still alright.)_

Ariela felt the air work its way through her hair. She let herself change as she fell, hawk form landing on the level twelve floors down. It was freeing, to be able to fly again, if only for a few brief seconds.

She watched as the others scrambled down, before jumping downwards again, her eyes now on a specific level- level thirty-four, eleven floors down from where she was. The sugar glider's mind integrated with her own for those few seconds. Ariela fanned out her coat, allowing it to catch the air as she snagged her hand onto the wires down here on floor thirty-four. She watched as the others continued on their way.

She forced the door open, pupils contracting in the better-lit room, watching as the others filed their way in- first Miriam, then Robin, then Kid Flash, and lastly, Aqualad. It was odd calling them that, and she would have to ask for their names for later on, although she felt that she probably wouldn't be able to.

Robin took over now, hacking into the systems, and providing a detailed map of the facility. Ariela had heard of Project Kr- once or twice, so not all that much. However, she had heard, that it was important, and it was this confirmation that led to the five superkids into the express elevator and down into the pit.

Ariela's eyes adjusted for the darkness, pupils blowing so that only a tiny circle of sapphire was visible around the midnight blackness. She could see every detail now- nothing was a problem. And at this, she let her other senses do their work, taking the quintet to a large set of metal (and probably sliding) doors.

Aqualad forced them open (she would have to ask them about their names later, she reminded herself again) and was the first inside. She cautiously followed, Miriam at her side, the younger mutant poised like the bird she was. Robin and Kid Flash followed after the pair, and stopped just after the girls.

"Kr is the atomic symbol for Krypton. Cadmus grew a race of warriors by sowing dragon's teeth in the earth. How… how the _hell_ did I not figure this out earlier! It was sitting in front of my face this whole damn time and I didn't even bat an eye, despite having access to some of the best sources." Ari snarled.

Kaldur looked at the girl with some pity in his eyes. She blamed herself, despite having no control here.

"It is fine. You were contained, you could not have known." he muttered calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ari relaxed at the contact. It was good to be around a friendly other than her little sister.

"So. We gonna break him out? First things first, we gotta get rid of those things." Ari hissed, pointing to the G Gnomes above Superman's clone. She shared a look with Miriam, before deciding to switch to their own… private… form of conversation on how to deal with this new, alien, and dangerous development.

' _Most of this problem stems from the fact that he's been brainwashed. I think, if we take out his G Gnomes, he may side with us, but it_ is _decently unlikely. I say we wing it. Break him out. Worst that happens, we pop to Sanctuary with these three in tow. Best that happens? We get an ally. Either way, we can still screw up C.A.D.M.U.S.'s plan for him by making sure that he isn't completely Superman.'_ was the winning argument.

They both turned to the others, nodding, before picking up a large thing made of metal and smashing it against the glass. The cracks spider-webbed up the pod slowly, like a crumbling glacier.

When Ariela saw the midget version of Superman's not-so-relieved glare, she was decently sure that this was an _absolutely awful_ idea. For future reference, she should _never listen to a hyper Miriam again. Ever._

Ari backed up, keeping eye contact with the teen, before tilting her head, slightly. As if she was confused. This stunned the Kryptonian for a few seconds. After all, this person _had_ to have a plan, right? _Right?!_

Ah, no. Here is something you should know about Ariela Sokol. She's a conniving bitch a quarter of the time, a protective mama lioness another quarter, and a loving but silly elder sibling for the third. The last quarter is the girl who improvises when she can, but has barely any plan ahead of that bit of improvising.

So, in a sense, this is a mutant with a head as hard as Vibranium and a mind _usually_ as sharp as a shard of Foe Glass, that had been dulled by the drugs that she'd been kept on to suppress her high telepathy and… other abilities. So. We have a smart, hard headed mutant, facing off against a Kryptonian. Both have high strength levels, are fast, and can heal fast. One has venom, but is weaker. So, in a sense, even match.

Well, it would be, if Ari had not decided to pop away from the Kryptonian, little sister in tow. Time to play a game of Keep-Away. The most dangerous one possible, if one would decide to admit the fact.

Essentially? They had to keep Robin and Miriam, the, biologically, most vulnerable and slowest-healing members of their group, away from the angered Kryptonian clone. Fuck, this was going to be pretty fucking fun.

And by "fun", one means "absolutely fucking terrifying, must be avoided at all costs, will not do again".

At this point, Ari began dodging in earnest, making sure her sister was out of the way, before an idea occurred to her. She set up a connection between her, Miriam and the three boys, before broadcasting.

' _I'm a telepath, but all I can do is talk right now, trust me, it's not fun. I'm going to shift into something small with Miriam, and if this kid kicks your arses and they put you in containment, Miriam and I will get you out.'_ Ariela conveyed. However, to do this, she had to focus on her telepathy for a second. Needless to say, this was her biggest mistake. She figured that she'd been hit, and fell as darkness surrounded her.

' _Hey, you alright?'_ was the first thing that Ari heard when she awoke. Turning her eyes to the containment cell next to her, she saw that Robin was the one that had spoken. Their connection was still open, which was a good thing, as it would also serve as a line of defense against the G Gnomes there.

' _I'm fine. Mind if I get names, though? It's annoying to call people by code-names when you are actively talking in your head.'_ Ari murmured. She saw a few looks between the three boys, before a group nod.

' _None other than Batman know Robin's real name-_ I'll call him just Robin then, but a case may be made for Birdie as a nickname- _Not sure how I feel about that-_ _I'm Wally!- And I am Kaldur'ahm, but most call me Kaldur. However, I would suggest you call us by our code-names while we are here-_ of course.' Ari finished, nodding. The quartet had gotten some odd looks from the scientists. Ariela frowned, scanning for her sister, before relaxing. Miriam was in a peregrine form, circling above the city. She was _safe._

' _Miriam's out. We just need to follow her to warn the League of this. I would assume that is your plan of action?'_ she asked, receiving several nods. Ariela sat back with a glare, and began to plan their escape.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two: Instinct

Ari growled, glaring at the scientists. The bars meant that she couldn't shift, which was _bad._ It meant she was vulnerable to cloning. And that, in it of itself, was a terrifying prospect. She had told Miriam to not come back unless they were out, and under _no circumstances_ trust anyone who told her to come back down, even if they seemed to have a mental voice that was hers. So that escape method was out.

She continued to keep a sharp glare on the scientists, before she felt… something… in her range. The Kryptonian clone's mind. And- huh. Running? - _please let that not be Miriam-_ Agreed-. Before-

The doors crashed open. Ari closed her ears to stop the ringing, before snapping her eyes open, allowing her now-shifted ears to swivel towards the clone. She tilted her head in confusion with his actions, now.

"Are you going to fry us or get us out?" Wally asked. The clone started for a second, before grinning.

"Well, I don't believe I have Superman's heat vision, so I guess it'll have to be getting you out. Where's the little one, by the way?" Superboy (it was easier than calling him 'the clone') asked, and Ari spoke up.

"She's out already, she'll find us when we get out of here. Trust me on that, she once found Mom when she was halfway around the world, and she was _four_ at the time. Finding us will be a piece of cake after that." the mutant said, smiling softly. The incredulous looks of Wally and Kaldur were hilarious, but Robin's evil grin took first place. Probably was going to challenge Miriam to a hide-and-seek tournament.

Ari made her way into the elevator shaft, before looking upwards. She watched as Superboy made a decent jump, before grinning, and wiggling slightly, feeling a different set of instincts take her over.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're about to show me up?" Superboy called down. The caracal mind took over, and Ari jumped. She managed roughly the same spot Superboy had, grinning at the clone.

"That work?" she called, still a few feet above him. Now, she changed her fingers- the pads charged with static, as she began to climb. She heard a few guesses for what animal that was from Wally and Robin.

"It's a Crested Gecko!" she called downwards. She continued to climb… why the heck had she never tried this before?! It was _ridiculously_ fun! And the fact that Wally was now using her leg for a free ride wasn't bothersome at all- he was light enough to where she didn't even register the change with her pads.

It was far better than using the stairs- she had the feeling that they would be caught if they went with that. But they needed to use this last set of stairs, now, as it was quite slick from that point on. She swung her leg, Wally attached, over to the next floor, before jumping on herself. And that's where the trouble started.

She raised one eye at the group of Genomorphs, mentally calculating how much energy it would take to pop all of them up at this distance. Probably a large bit, but it would be worth not getting caught again.

And then, their leader identified himself as an ally, and suggested for Superboy to become their champion.

Well, that was certainly unexpected. Ari did a double take, staring at Dubbilex, before Superboy decided.

"I choose freedom." he growled. Ari nodded approvingly, before another stepped into their hallway.

"No, you don't." the man snarled. Some formula was in his hand- he injected it into his arm. Guardian motioned for them to go. Ariela grabbed Wally and Robin, jumping up, while Superboy grabbed Kaldur. Ari growled, feeling something familiar slide into her mouth. A powerful venom, proper, with several sets of sharp, nearly _serrated_ teeth. She was shocked she could even pull that off- Megalania died out nearly forty thousand years ago. Maybe she would have to start looking more into the past for animals now…

She rushed forward, driven by instinct, and bit the monster-man sharply on the shoulder. Enough venom to kill a medium-sized elephant. Several times. He staggered through the third column, while Robin blew up the fourth. Ari grabbed Robin this time, Superboy taking care of Kaldur, and Wally running as fast out as his legs would take him. All five kids watched as the building crumbled, a small, dark-headed hawk alighting on Ariela's shoulder. The older mutant smiled at her baby sister, rubbing the bird's dark feathers.

 _Heads up my fellow lovers of fanfiction! This is not a normal paragraph change!_

Miriam felt alive for the first time in too long. She swooped down, then went into an elegant corkscrew dive, wings pulling around her body tightly. She felt her sister leave the facility, so she alit on the young woman's shoulder. Ariela rubbed her darkly feathered head with one hand, a bright smile on her face.

Ariela grinned. She knew that she was going to have to give a show of her full powers to the rest of the team soon, and no better way than this? She nodded at her sister, before leaning backwards, and down.

The avian form was an elegant one- she was dressed to impress as a white gyrfalcon, before alighting on the shoulder of her teammate and friend. Wally, surprisingly, was the one she had grown closest to. Respect was a common feature between the two, as well as a love for going fast (even if Wally had to tone it down enough for the mutant's cheetah form to catch up to him) and a care for their family members.

They bickered, sure, and it could be hard sometimes, but she cared about them all. She would protect them with everything, because that is what she did. She was not weak of heart or mind.


End file.
